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Today in Patriots History
Two Bud and two backup QBs
Two Bud and two backup QBs
Happy 85th birthday to Bob 'Two Bud' Schmidt
Born July 9, 1936 in Rochester, Minnesota
Patriot RT, 1964; uniform #74
Acquired in a trade with the Houston Oilers on August 25, 1964
Robert Malcolm Schmidt was originally drafted by the Chicago Cardinals in 1958, from the University of Minnesota. He was a three-time AFL all-star center with the Houston, and part of their 1961 American Football League championship team. On August 25, 1964 the Boston Patriots picked Schmidt up from the Oilers for a "future high draft choice". Bob started all 14 games for the Patriots that year, and played in 98 AFL/NFL games over eight seasons. After retirement he worked as a realtor in western New York. He is not to be confused with this Bob Schmidt, who played football at USC.
Very nice well detailed article about Mr. Schmidt via the link below, well worth the click:
Bills’ Throwback: Bob Schmidt | Buffalo Sports Page
It was quite a trip from Rochester to Buffalo for this Bills' player.
www.buffalosportspage.com
Schmidt turned up at the Cardinals’ training camp in Lake Forest, Illinois, and did his best. However, he was cut by Chicago shortly before the start of the season. Before he had time to make other plans for the rest of his life, Wellington Mara – the owner of the New York Giants – called and told him that the team wanted to sign him for the taxi squad. Schmidt thought about it while duck hunting over a weekend, and then talked to Mara a couple of days later and agreed to join the team for $700 a week – double the original offer.
“I was there two days and I didn’t know Jim Lee Howell was the head coach,” Schmidt told author Jeffrey Miller about joining the Giants. “I thought (assistant coach Vince) Lombardi was (the head coach) because he was running the whole show. They asked me if I had ever played guard or center and I said, ‘No, I mostly played defensive end or tackle in college.’ They said, ‘Report to Mr. (Tom) Landry. He’s going to have you work with the centers and learn how to snap the ball.” That’s how Schmidt was introduced to two of the great coaches in football history, Lombardi and Landry.
“Landry was a very good defensive coach,” Schmidt said. “He did a lot of film study at that time. He said (linebacker) Sam Huff’s responsibility was to go where Jim Brown went (when the Giants played the Browns). He said, ‘I don’t care if he goes to the popcorn stand. You’ve got him.’” . . .
The Oilers took a step back in 1963, falling to 6-8. That was third in the tightly-bunched AFL East behind Boston and Buffalo. Still, Schmidt was back in the All-Star Game for a third straight season. A losing record didn’t agree with Adams, so he fired Ivy and brought in a Texas football legend, Sammy Baugh. That, in turn, didn’t agree with Schmidt. “He was a wonderful athlete, but he wasn’t a coach,” Schmidt told author Miller. “Before I even got there, he had me on the trading block for some reason. I think he just wanted something different. “
Schmidt was shipped to the Boston Patriots. The Oilers received a second-round pick in 1965, and used it on offensive tackle Ralph Neely. It would have been a spectacular deal for Houston had the team signed Neely, but he went to Dallas of the NFL instead. Patriots coach Mike Holovak quickly moved Schmidt to right tackle, since rookie Jon Morris was about to start an 11-year run as the team’s center. Bob split the time there with Bob Yates. The Patriots went 10-3-1 but finished second in the AFL East behind Buffalo.
In 1965, Schmidt didn’t have much of a chance, as he tore his ACL early in the season and never dressed for a game. “In those days they didn’t like to take care of injures the way they do now. They actually sent me home with about a half a year’s pay,” Schmidt told Miller. By 1966, Bob was ready to think about coaching, and was surprised to receive a couple of offers to play again. Buffalo was looking for a backup center to Al Bemiller, and Schmidt believed that team would be a good landing spot. After all, the Bills were coming off two consecutive championships as they entered the 1966 season. . . .
Schmidt worked in sales for 32 years, and then eventually he and his wife got their real estate licenses and stayed in that business. Along the way, he was inducted into the Rochester (Minn.) Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. Bob was a regular participant in Bills’ alumni functions for many years in the Buffalo area. That way, he’s not forgotten.
“I get letters once or twice a week from kids seeking an autograph,” Schmidt said in 2016. “It still makes me think I’m part of the picture, even if there’s not enough tape to get me into a uniform. It was a great experience.”
